Portable Carving Board

I’ve been thinking about creating a Portable Carving Board that would act as a third hand to hold some types of carvings as I work on them. This would be for portable use when I carve while away from home. Normally, I have used an inexpensive plastic cutting board (typically used as a kitchen chopping board) placed across my legs, or on a table to protect the tabletop. One problem with the plastic board is that the carving is free to slide around on the slippery surface, so I thought that I would try making some mini bench dog equivalents.I drilled 2 rows of 3/8” holes spaced 1” apart, but not quite all the way through the cutting board, and then cut a few 1” long pieces of 3/8” dowel to use as my “bench dogs”.

By not drilling the holes all of the way through, I don’t have the problem of the dowels falling through the board. I just place the dowels according to the shape of the piece that I am working on, and I have that extra “hand” to help secure the project.

Of course, any variation of hole placement can easily be drilled to suit the shape of your carving.

Comments are welcome.Have a great day.

One other detail regarding the Sloyd Knife in the photos. That beautifully honed mirror finish that you see, is exactly how this new knife from Flexcut comes. Absolutely ready to go, right out of the package.